(EN) Evaluating Learning Impact, Kirkpatrick 4 level evaluation model

With this article I would like to bring attention to an important issue that every colleague dealing with learning and development programs and initiatives faces. And what I am pointing out to is the evaluation of learning impact. Without evaluating the effect from our or third party vendors efforts delivering such programs we risk not only to invest in initiative which won’t deliver what we expect but also to use training as a tool for problem which needs another solution. A good methodology for evaluating learning impact is Kirkpatrick four level training evaluation model where fours levels include:

Level 1: Reaction – measures what participants feel right after the training, what they think about the training right after it ends, what are the strengths and weaknesses, presentation style, training activities, etc. Usually this level mostly used by more of the training delivery parties to measure what they have produced / delivered.

Level 2: Learning – focuses on measuring what trainees have and haven’t learned. Learning shows how the training has developed trainee’s skills, knowledge and attitudes. In order to measure that you should have specific learning objectives. You can measure this with interviews or verbal assessments.

Level 3: Behavior – what we measure here is the application of what has been learned. It happens during the everyday work duties. If you don’ t measure this you have zero added value from your training because knowledge alone don’t bring results. Measuring behavior is a longer-term process that takes place more than just a week or two after the training. What will help you evaluate behavior of your trainees is asking question such as “Did the trainees change their behavior?” or “Are they able to teach their new knowledge and skills to someone else?”.

Level 4: Results – most costly and time-consuming but directly related to what companies expect as an outcome from the training initiative. In some areas results are easily measured and defined as a success criterion such as in sale training. What you may expect as a result is more phone calls, more meetings, more sales or better sales. Nevertheless, efforts to define specific criteria by which to measure learning impact are more than necessary.